Cellular communication system with moving base stations and methods and apparatus useful in conjunction therewith

ABSTRACT

A mobile communication network system comprising a core network including a core device and at least one static base station; base stations; and Mobile stations communicating via antennae with the base stations; The base stations including at least one moving base station which communicates via antennae with the mobile stations and has a physical e.g. Ethernet back-connection to a co-located radio manager having a physical connection with a co-located mobile station communicating via antennae with at least one selectable static base station, wherein each individual co-located radio manager comprises a radio resource manager; and functionality for receiving information from, and sending information to, other respectively co-located radio managers regarding qualities of their respective connections back to the core network, quality of its own connection back to the core network and channel quality which other base stations are able to provide and which its own base station is able to provide, to mobile stations in the vicinity of the individual co-located radio manager, and for using the information to determine whether to reject at least one mobile station seeking to be served by an individual base station associated with said individual co-located radio manager.

REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS

Priority is claimed from Israel Application No. 203568, filed 28 Jan.2010 and from Israel Application No. 206455 filed on Jun. 17, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to mobile communication networks and inparticular to cellular communication networks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many mobile communication networks are known, including 4G networks.“mobile ad hoc network” (MANET) technology is known. E-UTRAN is a knownstandard. WiMAX and 3G network systems are known.

A known MANET algorithm is described in Fuad Alnajjar and Yahao Chen,“SNRJRP aware Routing Algorithm Cross—Layer Design for MANET” (IJWMN,Vol 1, No 2, November 2009).

The disclosures of all publications and patent documents mentioned inthe specification, and of the publications and patent documents citedtherein directly or indirectly, are hereby incorporated by reference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention seek to provide anintermediate approach which may be based on the E-UTRAN standard andthat implements a wireless backhaul solution via a mobile relay layerwhich dynamically alters its connectivity to keep itself synchronizedwith the mobile stations.

Certain embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a cellularcommunication network in which there are mobile communication devices, astationary core and typically at least one stationary base station, andat least one mobile base station. The mobile base stations extend the“reach” of the network such that the most distant mobile elements speakto base stations, mobile and/or stationary, in back of them and so on ,in a series of hops, back to the core.

Certain embodiments seek to provide mobile base stations each having a“mobile telephone functionality” (other than input/output such asdialing and ringing) on it which knows how to report to its mobile basestation as to what base stations it sees.

Certain embodiments seek to provide a radio manager on (co-located with)a mobile base station communicating via radio with “colleague” radiomanagers on other mobile base stations.

Certain embodiments seek to provide use of the information provided bythe above communication network configuration, so as to enable anindividual mobile base station to determine whether it should acceptmobile communication devices which turn to it, or whether it shouldreject them because it knows they can do better elsewhere since theindividual mobile base station is currently poorly connected back to thecore or not connected at all, whereas other mobile base stations arebetter connected. In contrast, in conventional systems without movingbase stations, the base station, being stationary, is always connectedback to the core.

Certain embodiments seek to provide a system for implementing a E-UTRANnetwork that includes a network infrastructure in motion, the systemcomprising a plurality of mobile relays (mRS), each accommodating atypically small E-UTRAN base station (rBS), an E-UTRAN mobile station(rMS) and a local radio management unit (rRM) having a standard E-UTRANcommunication layer which communicates with its co-located mobilestation (rMS) and its co-located base station (rBS) in order to gatherchannel quality information characterizing at least one and preferablyall mobile stations connected to the co-located base station and alsothe measurements of its own co-located mobile station. The local radiomanagement unit typically also includes an in-band multi-hop backhaulingfunctionality which may replace conventional generally proprietarydecision layers in the E-UTRAN rRMs which use the channel qualityinformation to associate mobile stations with base stations.

Certain embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a tacticalcommunication network whose infrastructure is on the move, typically notbased on “mobile ad hoc network” (MANET) architecture that exhibitshorizontal topology where each node either serves as a subscriberterminal or as a relay between two nodes that do not have connectivity,nor on the classic cellular architecture, in which base stations are notdesigned for any movement. Instead, only the mobile subscribers areexpected to move.

The in-band multi-hop backhauling functionality may be operative toenhance immunity due to terrain or other interferences by creating newalternative routes to replace routes that are dropped due to terrain orother motion-caused interferences, wherein each new alternative routeincludes a section between the end-user mobile station and mobile relayit is connected to, and a backhauling section, including the linksbetween the mobile relays that take part as nodes in the route. Thefunctionality may include measuring the quality of each section andfinding the route or combination of sections which provide best qualityconnection to the core network.

Tactical communication networks, in which entire network infrastructuresare mobile, have adopted MANET technologies due to the fact that theyenable easier sharing of data and attain greater situation awareness.

A “mobile ad hoc network” (MANET) is an autonomous system of mobilerouters connected by wireless links. The routers are free to moverandomly and organize themselves arbitrarily; thus the network'swireless topology may change rapidly and unpredictably. Each node actsas a router, forwarding data packets for other nodes. As the nodes move,point to point link may be dropped due to terrain interference or simplybecause they move beyond the range of other nodes. Therefore, suchnetwork stability is continually stressed as nodes drop in and out ofthe mesh.

Certain embodiments of the present invention adopt E-UTRAN centralarchitecture, in which there are permanent base stations that are‘nailed down’ to fixed locations with fix backhauling (101). The mobilepart of the infrastructure (100) contains mobile relays that actaccording to the roles of the E-UTRAN. Contrary to MANET topology, inwhich the entire network is mobile, and connections between mobile nodescan change rapidly and unpredictably, and in which network stability iscontinually stressed as nodes drop in and out of the mesh, certainembodiments of the present invention are based on a centralized approachand the assumption that the nailed part of the network (101) is stable.The relay layer (100) is located in between the network side in whichthere are standard fixed base stations, and the access side, where thereare standard mobile stations (UE/MS layer). In order to communicate withstandard base stations (sBS) on one side, and standard mobile stations(MSs) on the other side, the mobile relay layer has implemented, in thisE-UTRAN network, in-band multi hop mobile backhauling in which it actsas mobile stations toward the static base stations (BSs) and as basestations toward the mobile stations (MSs) as depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG.10. In this approach, the topology of the network remains relativelysteady. The connectivity of the network is central and depends both onthe fixed, nailed base stations and the relay layer. In this case, evenif one of the relay nodes is dropped down due to terrain interferences,the effect is smoothed down because, unlike the MANET, the network iscentralized towards a core network that is located in a safe andpermanent location. Even if a node is dropped down, traffic isbackhauled through other relay nodes along with static base stationstowards the core network.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide management methodsthat combine a centralized approach (in the core network) and adistributed approach (in the relay network) into one solution.

Management methods for standard cellular communication networks are nowdescribed. Cellular communication systems are based on base stationsthat are located in places chosen to provide optimal communicationconditions and network coverage. Each base station is usually located ina permanent place for a long period (month, years), and thus backhaulingto the base station is fixed and can employ E1 lines, fiber or microwavelinks, which connect the base stations to the core network. In suchtypical cellular networks, the mobile unit, which is the user handset,is the only mobile network element that moves from one place to another,and the network should follow the user in order to provide connectivityand telecommunication services.

In such a standard cellular network, the desired user bit rate andquality of service should be maintained, regardless of the user'smobility within the coverage area. In wireless systems, appropriatehandover, which is one of the fundamental RRM techniques, is critical toensure desired user performance. The handover execution is typicallytriggered by user feedback: measurement reports and/or networkconfigured events. Different types of measurements and events also giverise to various categories of handovers. It is important that userquality is maintained after the handover, to avoid a ‘ping pong’ effect,and minimize the signaling associated with handover procedures.

Mobile station measurements may be as follows: In E-UTRAN the followingthree downlink neighbor cell measurements are specified primarily formobility:

-   -   Reference symbol received power (RSRP)    -   Reference symbol received quality (RSRQ): RSRQ=RSRP/carrier RSSI    -   E-UTRA Carrier RSSI

The RSRP and RSRQ measurements are performed by the Mobile Station (MS),which is the E-UTRA mobile terminal, for each cell on a cell specificknown pilot sequence called reference symbols. The E-UTRA carrier RSSIis measured over the entire carrier; it is the total received power andnoise from all cells (including serving cells) on the same carrier, orother carriers, as has been defined in the LTE Advanced, in whichseveral component carriers may be used. The two reference symbol-basedmeasurements (RSRP and RSRQ) are preferably used for mobility decisions.

In general terms RSRP and RSRQ can be regarded as ‘signal strength’ typeand ‘signal quality’ type measurements respectively. In WCDMA, CPICHRSCP and CPICH Ec/No are the corresponding ‘signal strength’ and ‘signalquality’ measurements respectively. In other words E-UTRAN RSRP and RSRQmeasurements are analogous to WCDMA CPICH RSCP and CPICH Ec/Nomeasurements respectively. As in E-UTRAN, in WCDMA the CPICH Ec/No isthe ratio of CPICH RSCP to UTRA carrier RSSI.

The neighbor cell measurements are typically averaged over a long timeperiod in the order of 200 ms or even longer to filter out the effect ofsmall scale fading.

Additional network configured time domain filtering can be used tofurther filter out the effect of fading.There may also be a requirement on the MS to measure and report theneighbor cell measurements (e.g. RSRP and RSRQ in E-UTRAN) from acertain minimum number of cells. In E-UTRAN this number is 8 cells(comprising of one serving and seven neighbor cells) on the servingcarrier frequency (or commonly termed as intra-frequency). This numberis slightly lower (e.g. 4-6 cells) for measurements carried out on nonserving carrier frequency.

MS Reported Events for Mobility are now described. Instead of requestingthe MS to report the entire measurement quality, the MS can beconfigured to only report events, which in turn are triggered bymeasurement reports. The events are then reported to the network. Theevents can be sub-divided into absolute and relative events. An exampleof an absolute event is when serving cell RSRP falls below an absolutethreshold. Another example comprises a serving cell's RSRQ falling belowan absolute threshold.

An example of a relative event is when a neighbor cell's RSRQ becomesstronger than that of the serving cell by a certain margin (i.e.relative threshold). The cell(s) involved in evaluating an event mayoperate on the carrier frequency of the serving cell or y may operate ondifferent carrier frequencies e.g. serving cell on carrier frequency F1and neighbor cell on carrier frequency F2. In response to the occurrenceof one or more of the above events, the network can take further actionssuch as a handover decision, which may require it to send a handovercommand to the MS.

The above described measurements and events are used for mobilitydecisions. There are typically two kinds of mobility scenarios:

-   -   Idle mode mobility: cell reselection    -   Connected mode mobility: handover

Cell reselection is typically an MS autonomous function without anydirect intervention of the network. The cell reselection decision at theMS is based on downlink measurements on the serving and target cells.The network can configure the MS to use RSRP or/and RSRQ and theassociated absolute or relative thresholds for cell reselection. Theconfiguration is carried out by transmitting relevant information andparameters on the broadcast channel. Thus, to some extent, MS cellreselection behavior is still controlled by the network. The standardalso specifies some rules that govern MS behavior when performing cellreselection.

Handover, on the other hand, is fully controlled by the network throughexplicit MS specific commands and by standardized rules in thespecification. The reported events are exclusively used for handovers.In addition, actual measurement reports may also be used by the networkfor executing handovers.

New 4G commercial cellular communication networks have adopted a newarchitecture that is based on many small Pico-Femto cells instead ofmacro-cells. This networking approach enables (with Adoptive ModulationCode techniques) to utilize the spectrum in a much more efficient mannerand to provide broadband communication services, while overcoming harshurban environments. Furthermore, in order to lower backhauling expensesand enhance spectrum utilization, in some cases the base stations arereplaced with relays that use the access spectrum for backhaulingtraffic. In this case, one of the challenges of such a network isrelated to a network's routing and radio resource management (RRM).

In the abovementioned scenario, the base stations (or relays) and thebackhauling networks are fixed and are located in permanent places whichare chosen in advance to provide optimal traffic throughput, subject tothe assumption that the backhauling bandwidth is relatively steady.

Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to a specificscenario in which the base stations are mobile and backhaulingperformances can be changed dramatically.

Certain embodiments of the present invention seek to provide an improvedmethod for implementing a tactical moving wireless network. Today thereare two counter approaches to implementing such a wireless network. Thefirst one is the cellular approach. This approach is similar to thecurrent cellular network in the sense that it encompasses base stationsand mobile stations. However, legacy base stations today are not plannedfor any movement; only the mobile subscribers are expected to move. Inorder to enable base stations to move, several challenges need to beaddressed, such as implementing wireless backhaul which should be ableto alter its connectivity dynamically, to keep synchronization with theserved subscribers, and to maintain a dynamic changing frequency plan toavoid interference. The other available contender solution for a movingwireless network is the “mobile ad-hoc network” (MANET), which exhibitshorizontal topology where each node either serves as a subscriberterminal or as a relay between two nodes that does not haveconnectivity. Such a network faces significant challenges to maintaineffective routing that should track rapid, dynamically changingconnectivity. They also face significant difficulties to support multiservice networks while maintaining both quality and level of service.Certain embodiments of the present invention propose a middle approachsomewhere between both these approaches. Certain embodiments of thepresent invention implement multi-hop relay instead of MANET. Thenetwork encompasses a macro base station that is usually the only nodethat is planned to be located in a fixed position, relay stations whichare base stations, typically small base stations, that are fed in awireless manner either from a super ordinate relay or from the macrobase station. Each relay is capable to serve mobile stations andsubordinate relays. The dynamic routing and frequency assignmentproblems are of a significantly lower scale than with MANET networks dueto the fact that the backhaul routes and frequency assignment are onlyrestricted to the relays, while MSs routing and frequency assignmentsare done through a conventional handover process. Such networks cansupport multi-service capabilities very similar to the way 4G cellularnetworks do. Routing tracking is more straightforward also due the factthat its topology is far less complex due to its tree resemblance ratherthan a mesh topology.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide methods to managethe radio resources of a 4G E-UTRAN LTE (or WiMAX) cellular network inwhich part of its base stations move. As already described, and asdepicted in FIG. 10, typically, instead of an entire network moving(which is the MANET assumption), the methods shown and described hereinassume a networking case in which a portion of its infrastructure ispermanent and nailed down to a fixed location, while another part of thenetwork moves along with users' mobile stations. Certain embodiments ofthe present invention combine a centralized management approach, whichis related to a permanent part, and a distributed management approach,which is related to the network's moving part, into one managementsolution.

In such a network, the backhauling of the nailed down infrastructure issteady, while the backhauling of the moving infrastructure can bedropped, due to terrain interferences or simply because they move beyondthe range of the fixed base stations.

In order to solve the problem of E-UTRAN/WiMAX network “on the move”certain embodiments of the present invention may utilize a solution ofin-band backhauling. In this case each mobile base station is turnedinto a mobile relay by adding to it a standard mobile station. Certainembodiments of the present invention are related to the specific case ofnetwork topology that is depicted in FIG. 1, in which the standard basestation layer of the network is divided into two layers:

-   -   One layer of static base stations—sBS (2) that are located in        permanent locations and act under usual conditions and according        to the standard rules of the E-UTRAN and    -   Another layer of moving Base Stations—rBS (63) that, with the        backhauling mobile station—rMS (51), are actually mobile relay        stations (63).

In order to overcome the problem of backhauling changes due to themobility of the relays, certain embodiments of the present inventionbase their network management solution not on MESH or MANET topologiesbut on a new approach that combines centralized and distributed radiomanagement into one Routing and Radio Resource Management (RRM)solution. This approach is depicted in FIG. 7. The network RRM isdivided into two entities:

-   -   Centralized RRM entity (62) that is inside the MME (or ASN GW in        WiMAX network) and    -   Distributed network (60) of relay Radio Resource Managers—rRM        (58), (59), (50) that are located in each relay.

The DisNetRM (61) in FIG. 7 is an entity that co-ordinates between thestandard central RRM activity and the distributed rRMs network activity.In a case where all end-user mobile stations have connectivity to thesteady nailed down base stations, the DisNetRM updated the distributedrRMs and networks management is done in a centralized manner by main RRMthat is located in the MME (62). In case backhauling links are droppeddue to terrain interference or simply because they move beyond the rangeof the steady nailed base stations (sBSs), the rRMs come into operationand provide backhauling connectivity by utilizing multi-hop routesbetween the mobile relays.

According to certain embodiments, a method is provided to manage theradio resources of this network by combining rMSs backhaulingmeasurement results and end-user MS measurements into one Quality GradeResult (QGR) according to which handover cell reselection load controlis carried out.

The network's mobile relay managers—rRMs, can communicate between eachother and establish alternative routes in case of backhauling problems.Such a network is depicted in FIG. 2. Mobile stations (14) can beconnected directly to the core network via a fixed standard base station(10), or through a relay (11) or several relays in a multi-hop route.Each relay functions as a standard base station (rBS) at its accessside, and as a mobile station (rMS) at its backhauling side.

Certain embodiments of the the present invention are related to radioresource management of such a mobile relay network, as depicted in FIG.2. The distributed management solution is based on special local RRMmanagers (rRM—relay Radio Manager). These rRMs are connected betweeneach other over standard S1/X2 LTE (or R4 WiMAX) protocols, and areresponsible for the Handover, Cell selection/reselection and Loadcontrol of this network in cases where the centralized RRM is unable tocontrol parts of the network due to degradation in performance of thebackhauling network. Each rRM typically is operative to perform at leastone and preferably all of the following functionalities:

-   -   Multi section route method to make decisions with regard to        handover and cell selection    -   Frequency band carriers selection    -   In-cell connectivity method

A simplified diagram of the relay structure, according to certainembodiments, is depicted in FIG. 7. In this solution the relay internalbase station (the rBS) and its internal mobile station (rMS) arestandard. Their PHY and MAC layers are according to the E-UTRAN (orWiMAX) without changes.

According to certain embodiments of the invention, a functionality isprovided in the rRM that receives from the rMS a report such as aconventional Network Measurement Report (NMR) via the rMS's Ethernetport. The NMR is usually sent just to the remote base station in whichthe MS is camped on. In this solution, the rMS is controlled by the rRMand provides measurement information both to the remote BS as well as tothe local rRM.

The rBS is connected to the rRM via an Ethernet port that carries thestandard R6 (WiMAX) or S1/X2 (E-UTRAN) messages. The backhauling trafficof this mobile relay is carried over the rMS, and due to the fact thatthe relay is mobile, there is no guarantee that the backhaulingbandwidth is sufficient, or that there is a backhauling connection atall. In such cases, the immunity solution is based on the numerousroutes that can be established between the mobile relays. Certainembodiments of the present invention provide methods to manage thesystem in such a unique case.

In standard commercial networks, in which the base stations and therelay stations are fixed, the only network element that is mobile is theMS that performs measurements (like RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ) to maintainquality of service. Based on these measurements, handover and networkentry decisions are made. In such standard networks these MSmeasurements are sufficient, since base stations are steady and thebackhauling performances do not change.

In the network scenario mentioned above, in which base stations andrelays are moving, it is necessary to consider the measurement of eachMS/rMS in every section/hop on the route. For example, the route of MS5in FIG. 2 contains 3 sections/hops: section g (15), k (16) and d (17).The problem is that in cases where the rRM handover decision is based onthe measurements of MS5 only, it may not take into consideration themeasurements of rMS2 and rMS3; although section g (15) measurementsresults are of a good quality, the whole route performance might be ofpoor quality if measurements of section k (16) show that the quality isnot sufficient. In this case, a decision to handover MS5 to this routemay be erroneous.

Certain embodiments of the present invention overcome these deficienciesand solve the above identified problem by providing methods that takeinto consideration the measurements of all the mobile stations (the MSand the rMSs) along the specific route. All measurements done by all ofthe mobiles along each specific route may be combined and a qualitygrade result (QGR) may be provided to each route. Handover and networkentry decisions are based upon this QGR result.

According to certain embodiments of the present invention, there isprovided a method in which the route tables are built, and contain theMS measurements for each section of the route. The method scans thistable and sorts each route to several grades of service quality.

The QGR of each alternative route is transferred to the MSs as well.Each MS receives the QGRs that are related to its alternative routes.This is important in the case of idle mode, in which the MS can choosethe base station on which to camp, without network involvement. In thestandard case, while the MS relies on its own measurements only, it maychoose to camp on rBS without backhauling. The QGR table prevents thisoccurring. If the QG=0 for a specific rBS (although the MS qualitymeasurements are good), the MS can decide to camp on other rBS (that hasinferior measurement quality, but still may have backhauling).

Certain embodiments of the present invention aim to provide partialconnectivity in a mobile network, between groups of specificsubscribers, while one section of the route is in inferior condition (ormay even be disconnected). The method provided in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present invention aims to identify whichusers can be communicated with others and to provide handover servicesin this portion of the network to enhance connectivity. For example, inFIG. 2, although section d (17) is disconnected or has very poorquality, rRM2 (12) and rRM3 (13) maintain connectivity to their MSs andhandover decisions between rBS2 and rBS3 can be made.

According to certain embodiments of the present invention, if there is abackhauling section with poor quality, the rRM is able to analyzewhether the poor quality of this section is caused as a result oftransmission of its co-located rBS or neighbor rBS. In such a case, therRM (and/or the neighbor rRM) can operate its rBS in silence mode, inwhich the MAPs in the downlink (DL) portion of the frame may be emptyand thus enable its rMS to receive the DL transmission of the remotebase station (rBS or sBS). FIG. 9 depicts this case.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the connectivitytables and routing tables are transferred in a standard manner betweenall the rRMs in a way that the same updated Section Measurement Tableexists in each rRM (FIG. 3). The same functionality exists in each rRMso each automatically receives the same routing result, and the one thatserves the MS may perform it.

According to another embodiment of the invention, update measurementinformation may be transferred between the rRMs through the rRMsstandard protocol, meaning R4 protocol in WiMAX and S1/X2 protocol inLTE. In cases where one of the rRMs is disconnected from the network,there is a method to update this rRM in a specific update message.

Although the description of the invention given here is directed to theE-UTRAN LTE system, the invention may also be employed in WiMAX or 3Gnetwork systems as well.

There is thus provided, in accordance with certain embodiments of thepresent invention, a method for implementing tactical E-UTRAN networkparts of whose network infrastructure are on the move along with theend-user mobile stations. The moving infrastructure includes a pluralityof mobile relays (mRS), each accommodating a base station (rBS),typically a small base station, mobile station (rMS) and local radiomanagement unit (rRM). The backhauling of these mobile relays is in-bandmulti-hop backhauling to enhance immunity. The in-band multi-hopbackhauling network enables to create new routes that become alternativeto the routes that were dropped due to terrain or other interferences.Each route includes a plurality of sections: Section between end-usermobile station and the mobile relay which it is connected to, andbackhauling sections, which are the links between the mobile relays thattake part as nodes in the route.

Also provided, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, is a network of local relay managers (rRMs) and a centralmanager (RRM) that combine central managing approach and distributedmanaging approach into one managing solution. This is by detecting thequality of each end-user section and the quality of each backhaulingsection according to the MSs and rMSs measurements (RSRP, RSRI, RSRQ)and combines them into quality grade results (QGR) for the actual routeand alternative routes of each end-user mobile station (MS). The resultsare broadcast to the end-user MSs as well and decisions for handover andcell admission and cell reselection are done by having for each routethe quality result of the access and backhauling sections.

Further in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention,the QGR is created by a weighted algorithm.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the centralized RRM (62) is communicated with the rRMsnetwork (60) through the centralized distributed manager—DisNetRM (61).In the distributed rRM network each relay manager (50) gets measurementreports information from the other participant relay managers (58), (59)over the relay manager's sub-network (60) and measurement RSRP, RSRI andRSRQ measurements from its co-located relay MS (51) and end-user MSs(55), (56), (57) to build one radio resource measurements table.

Additionally in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the measurement information is spread by broadcast messagetype to all rRMs and RRM.

Further in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention,the method spreads the QGR of all the alternative routes to the MS overbroadcast message. The MS broadcast message relates to each base stationand is sent to the MSs that camp on this base station

Also provided, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, is a method for deciding on handover and network entry inLTE/WiMAX tactical network that is based on LTE mobile relays. In thisnetwork, routes between end-user MSs up to the static base station maybe established through the relay backhauling MSs in several hops. Themethods comprise measurements (73), (74), (75) of the radio sections ofeach alternative route that are established by the mobile relays. Themethod comprises all these measurements to one entity and decides aboutHandover and MS admission operations.

Additionally provided, in accordance with certain embodiments of thepresent invention, is a method for establishing the same database to therelay radio managers (rRMs) distributed network. The method exists ineach rRM and is responsible for building tables (40), (41), (42) and thesection measurement table (43) in each rRM and updating this database.

Further provided, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, is a functionality for distributing rMS section measurementswhich is installed in each rMS and distributes link quality measurementsto the remote base station in which it is connected to, as well as toits co-located rRM. Thus the rMS can be aware of its existingbackhauling quality and initiates handover operation.

Yet further provided, in accordance with certain embodiments of thepresent invention, is a cell reselection functionality located in eachMS and which receives, periodically, the QGR report of each route. Thus,while the mobile is in idle mode and wants to camp on a new relay basestation, its decision may be based not only on its own measurements, buton the backhauling rMSs measurements as well.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, a handover functionality is located in each rRM. In thisdistributed network, the local rRM is responsible for handover operationof its collocated rMS.

In tables 40, 41, 42 and 43, the QGR—Quality Grade Result has 3 qualityvalues: G—good, M—medium, X—bad. These values are combination of the SNRand the statistical metrics. The SNR is the minimum SNR that is neededfor modulation constellation according to the 3GPP E-UTRAN tables.

The weight of the STD, Means and Median on the QGC will be set up infield experiments.

According to certain embodiments, users are shown a good or bestlocation for QGR. The statistical measurements of the co-located MS ineach relay may be attached to the location results of the relay. The rRMmay have a functionality that computes and indicates to the userlocations with good or best QGC. This allows the user to locate therelay in the best backhauling place, e.g. in tactical applications.

According to certain embodiments, in the event that a 3 (say) hopcommunication route is being used, the relay R that is connected to thecore network via another relay A, sends a message to the backhaulingrelay B that it—R—is A's anchor. The backhauling relay then becomesaware that another relay is connected to it and typically finds a bestplace to remain.

Also provided, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, is a mobile communication network system comprising a corenetwork including a core device and at least one static base station; aplurality of base stations; and a population of mobile stationscommunicating via antennae with the base stations; the base stationsincluding at least one moving base station which communicates viaantennae with the mobile stations and includes base stationfunctionality, a first radio manager and mobile station functionalityall co-located with the base station functionality, the base stationfunctionality having a physical back-connection to the first radiomanager, the first radio manager having a physical connection with themobile station functionality, the mobile station functionalitycommunicating via antennae with at least one selectable static basestation, wherein the first radio manager comprises a radio resourcemanager; and functionality for receiving information from, and sendinginformation to, other radio managers, respectively co-located with othermoving base stations, and for using the information to determine whetherto reject at least one mobile station seeking to be served by anindividual base station associated with the individual co-located radiomanager, the information including at least some of informationregarding qualities of other base stations' respective connections backto the core network, information regarding quality of the first radiomanager's moving base station's connection back to the core network, andinformation regarding channel qualities which the first radio manager'sown base station, and base stations other than the first radio manager'sown base station, are respectively able to provide, to mobile stationsin the vicinity of the first radio manager.

Further in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention,the information regarding qualities of respective connections ofrespectively co-located radio managers back to the core network isprovided by respectively co-located radio managers via a selected one ofa static base station from among the at least one static base station ofthe core network; and a moving base station capable of providing serviceto the individual radio manager's co-located mobile device.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the information re quality of its own connection back to thecore network is provided by its own co-located mobile station.

Additionally in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the information re channel quality which other base stationsare able to provide mobile stations in the vicinity of the individualco-located radio manager is provided by reports generated by the mobilestations in the vicinity.

Further in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention,the information re quality of service available from its own basestation for mobile stations in the vicinity of the individual co-locatedradio manager is provided by its own co-located mobile station.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, each the co-located radio manager is operative to compute,for at least one individual mobile station, route comparison informationincluding a plurality of routes of base stations via which theindividual mobile station can communicate with the core network and atleast one parameter characterizing the relative quality of each of theroutes and to communicate to the individual mobile station informationindicative of the route comparison information and wherein theindividual mobile station is operative to select a base station to beconnected to at least partly based on the information indicative of theroute comparison information.

Additionally in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the parameter is based upon a minimum SNR value, oversections which together compose a route, each section having its own SNRvalue.

Further in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention,the parameter characterizing route quality is a combination of measuredqualities of route sections and fluctuations thereof such that routesections with largely fluctuating quality measurements are devalued dueto their unpredictability.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, at least one individual co-located radio manager includes amobile-to-mobile direct communication facilitation functionalityoperative to provide direct communication, not requiring the corenetwork, between a plurality of mobile devices in the individual radiomanager's vicinity.

Additionally in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the moving base station observes a silence period duringwhich it refrains from transmitting to its own co-located mobilestation.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, at least one characteristic of the silence period isdynamically determined by the moving base station's co-located radiomanager.

Further in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention,the characteristic comprises a zone in which silence is observed whichis defined over at least one of a frequency band and a time window.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the E-UTRAN network comprises a tactical E-UTRAN network.

Additionally in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, if a multi-hop communication route is used, in which a relayR that is connected to the core network via another relay A, relay Rsends a message to a backhauling relay that R is A's anchor.

Further in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention,the static base station is co-located with the core device.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the physical back-connection comprises an Ethernetback-connection.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the radio resource manager comprises an E-UTRAN radioresource manager.

Also provided, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, is a mobile communication networking method comprisingProviding a core network including a core device and at least one staticbase station; a plurality of base stations; and a population of mobilestations communicating via antennae with the base stations; the basestations including at least one moving base station which communicatesvia antennae with the mobile stations and includes base stationfunctionality, a first radio manager and mobile station functionalityall co-located with the base station functionality, the base stationfunctionality having a physical back-connection to the first radiomanager, the first radio manager having a physical connection with themobile station functionality, the mobile station functionalitycommunicating via antennae with at least one selectable static basestation, wherein the first radio manager comprises a radio resourcemanager; and functionality for receiving information from, and sendinginformation to, other radio managers, respectively co-located with othermoving base stations; and using the information to determine whether toreject at least one mobile station seeking to be served by an individualbase station associated with the individual co-located radio manager,the information including at least some of information regardingqualities of other base stations' respective connections back to thecore network, information regarding quality of the first radio manager'smoving base station's connection back to the core network, andinformation regarding channel qualities which the first radio manager'sown base station, and base stations other than the first radio manager'sown base station, are respectively able to provide, to mobile stationsin the vicinity of the first radio manager.

Still further in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, users are shown a good location for QGR.

Additionally in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention, statistical measurements of a co-located MS in each at leastone relay are attached to location results of the relay and wherein thesystem includes at least one rRM having a functionality that computesand indicates to the user locations with good QGC.

Further in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention,the backhauling relay becomes aware that another relay is connected toit and finds a good place to remain.

Typically, each rRM speaks to its co-located base station according toconventional protocols e.g. as per the E-UTRAN standard communicationlayer. However, when a rRM speaks to its co-located mobile station(rMS), there is typically no conventional protocol in the sense thatconventionally, only base stations speak to end units e.g. mobilestations whereas conventional RRMs speak only to base stations. Toovercome this, according to certain embodiments of the presentinvention, rRMs may “masquerade” as base stations e.g. by sending arequest to an rMS to execute an NMR measurement.

Also provided is a computer program product, comprising a computerusable medium or computer readable storage medium, typically tangible,having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computerreadable program code adapted to be executed to implement any or all ofthe methods shown and described herein. It is appreciated that any orall of the computational steps shown and described herein may becomputer-implemented. The operations in accordance with the teachingsherein may be performed by a computer specially constructed for thedesired purposes or by a general purpose computer specially configuredfor the desired purpose by a computer program stored in a computerreadable storage medium.

Any suitable processor, display and input means may be used to process,display e.g. on a computer screen or other computer output device,store, and accept information such as information used by or generatedby any of the methods and apparatus shown and described herein; theabove processor, display and input means including computer programs, inaccordance with some or all of the embodiments of the present invention.Any or all functionalities of the invention shown and described hereinmay be performed by a conventional personal computer processor,workstation or other programmable device or computer or electroniccomputing device, either general-purpose or specifically constructed,used for processing; a computer display screen and/or printer and/orspeaker for displaying; machine-readable memory such as optical disks,CDROMs, magnetic-optical discs or other discs; RAMs, ROMs, EPROMs,EEPROMs, magnetic or optical or other cards, for storing, and keyboardor mouse for accepting. The term “process” as used above is intended toinclude any type of computation or manipulation or transformation ofdata represented as physical, e.g. electronic, phenomena which may occuror reside e.g. within registers and/or memories of a computer.

The above devices may communicate via any conventional wired or wirelessdigital communication means, e.g. via a wired or cellular telephonenetwork or a computer network such as the Internet.

The apparatus of the present invention may include, according to certainembodiments of the invention, machine readable memory containing orotherwise storing a program of instructions which, when executed by themachine, implements some or all of the apparatus, methods, features andfunctionalities of the invention shown and described herein.Alternatively or in addition, the apparatus of the present invention mayinclude, according to certain embodiments of the invention, a program asabove which may be written in any conventional programming language, andoptionally a machine for executing the program such as but not limitedto a general purpose computer which may optionally be configured oractivated in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. Anyof the teachings incorporated herein may wherever suitable operate onsignals representative of physical objects or substances.

The embodiments referred to above, and other embodiments, are describedin detail in the next section.

Any trademark occurring in the text or drawings is the property of itsowner and occurs herein merely to explain or illustrate one example ofhow an embodiment of the invention may be implemented.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specificationdiscussions, utilizing terms such as, “processing”, “computing”,“estimating”, “selecting”, “ranking”, “grading”, “calculating”,“determining”, “generating”, “reassessing”, “classifying”, “generating”,“producing”, “stereo-matching”, “registering”, “detecting”,“associating”, “superimposing”, “obtaining” or the like, refer to theaction and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or processoror similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transformdata represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities within thecomputing system's registers and/or memories, into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the computing system'smemories, registers or other such information storage, transmission ordisplay devices. The term “computer” should be broadly construed tocover any kind of electronic device with data processing capabilities,including, by way of non-limiting example, personal computers, servers,computing system, communication devices, processors (e.g. digital signalprocessor (DSP), microcontrollers, field programmable gate array (FPGA),application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.) and otherelectronic computing devices.

The present invention may be described, merely for clarity, in terms ofterminology specific to particular programming languages, operatingsystems, browsers, system versions, individual products, and the like.It will be appreciated that this terminology is intended to conveygeneral principles of operation clearly and briefly, by way of example,and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to anyparticular programming language, operating system, browser, systemversion, or individual product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in thefollowing drawings:

FIG. 1 is a simplified pictorial diagram of a LTE/WiMAX network thatuses mobile base stations.

FIG. 2 is a simplified pictorial diagram of a mobile multi-hop cellularrelay network in which its base stations are mobile.

FIG. 3 is a simplified pictorial diagram of a rRMs communicationnetwork.

FIG. 4 is a tabular diagram of a data base and a method of building thetables constructed and operative in accordance with certain embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram showing how the Section Measurement Tableprovides input to the handover algorithm, in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a simplified flowchart illustration of a cellularcommunication management functionality constructed and operative inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a simplified semi-pictorial semi-block diagram illustration ofa centralized and distributed management scheme and associated rRMnetwork, all constructed and operative in accordance with certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a simplified pictorial diagram of measurement aggregation ineach route, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a simplified semi-block diagram semi-pictorial diagram of thesilence mode of rBS, operative in accordance with certain embodiments ofthe present invention in which a moving base station observes a silenceperiod during which it refrains from transmitting to its own co-locatedmobile station, e.g. such that at least one characteristic of thesilence period, such as a zone in which silence is observed which isdefined over at least one of a frequency band and a time window, isdynamically determined by the moving base station's co-located radiomanager.

FIG. 10 is a simplified block diagram illustration of an E-UTRANmulti-hop relay network constructed and operative in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a simplified flowchart illustration of a method, operative inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention, forbuilding tables such as Basic measurement table; Connectivity table:Routing table; Sections Measurement Table which are useful in accordancewith certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a graph of SNR vs. time useful in understanding certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a pictorial illustration of an example of a rescue operationin which various mobile stations and moving base stations, servingmedical personnel, are advancing over a terrain where they may neverhave been deployed, e.g. toward a disaster area.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing use of tabled information, according tocertain embodiments of the present invention, to cope with theadvancement shown in FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The following terms may be construed either in accordance with anydefinition thereof appearing in the prior art literature or inaccordance with the specification, or as follows:

-   1×RTT CDMA2000 1× Radio Transmission Technology-   CPICH Common Pilot Channel-   E-UTRA Evolved UTRA-   E-UTRAN Evolved UTRAN-   FDD Frequency Division Duplex-   GSM Global System for Mobile communication-   HRPD CDMA2000 High Rate Packet Data-   P-CCPCH Primary Common Control Physical Channel-   RSCP Received Signal Code Power-   RSRP Reference Signal Received Power-   RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality-   RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator-   TDD Time Division Duplex-   UTRA Universal Terrestrial Radio Access-   UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network-   mRS Mobile Relay-   rBS Relay Base Station-   rMS Relay Mobile Station-   QGR Quality Grade Result-   MANET Mobile Ad Hoc Network-   MME Mobile Management Entity-   S-GW Service Gateway-   MS Mobile Station

In existing cellular networks handover and network entry decisions aremade according to radio channel quality between mobile stations (MS) andsurrounding base stations. Radio channel quality is determined bymeasurements that are made by the MS. Due to the fact that the basestations are located in permanent places, the backhauling is consideredsteady and there is no need to perform any backhauling measurements forthe handover process. FIG. 1 describes the case of such a commercialnetwork. LTE and WiMAX standards have not found reasons to makebackhauling measurements and to link between the network backhaulingperformances and the mobile station's measurement results.

In a network whose base stations are mobile (as in a tactical militarycellular communication network), network performance can changedramatically because there is no guarantee that backhauling performancesmay be kept in the new locations. Certain embodiments of the presentinvention relate to a network architecture based on relays thatestablish multi-hop routes via in-band backhauling. In this solutioneach relay has a standard mobile station (rMS) that carries thebackhauling traffic. The rMS does not however typically have keyboard ordisplay, and typically includes only the LTE (or WiMAX) modem.

This rMS is connected to base station (rBS) of another relay, which hasits own rMS that is connected to another rBS of another relay. Themessages that establish these connections are according to E-UTRAN (orWiMAX) standards. Such a route contains several sections. The quality ofeach radio section is measured by the rMS of this section and thequality of the whole route is an outcome of the quality measurementresults of all the sections of each route, as depicted in FIG. 8. FIG. 2depicts a network with 3 relays (11), (12), (13). Each relay functionsas a base station (rBS) at its access side and as a mobile station (rMS)at its backhauling side. The rBS and rMS of each relay are controlledinternally by the rRM—the relay Radio Manager. In the event that the rBStransmission interferes with the co-located rMS's attempts to beconnected to the remote base station, the rRM may cause the rBS totransmit empty frames in the downlink.

According to an embodiment of the invention, decisions of RRM—RadioResource Management, including but not limited to handover decisions oradmission decisions about to which base station the mobile station willbe connected to, or MS network entry decisions, are based on the qualitymeasurements of all the sections that compose a route.

Each MS may have several routes to a static base station. Turning atfirst to FIG. 2 it can be seen that MS5 (18) can be connected to the sBSin the following routes:

I. Through rBS1: This route contains sections: (36), (29)

II. Through rBS2: This route contains sections: (37), (38), (39)

In the following example, the assumption is that MS5 can only measurethe reference signals of rBS1 (36) and rBS2 (37). MS5 does not have anyinformation about the quality of sections (29), (38), (39) that aremeasured by rMS1 and rMS2, rMS3. Preferably, the rRM of each relaygathers this measurement information, relays it to the other rRMs in thenetwork, and creates a Quality Grade Result (QGR) for each routeaccording to this information. This QGR is transferred to theappropriate MS, which is MS5. The rRM decides about handover operationaccording to the QGR, and in idle mode, the MS can decide to which basestation to be connected.

In order to form a QGR for each possible route, a Section MeasurementTable (43) is generated e.g. as described in FIG. 4. In accordance withcertain embodiments of the present invention, the method builds in eachrRM a table as described herein with reference to FIG. 4.

All rRMs work on the same tables and data base mentioned above and thehandover decision and admission methods may be the same in all rRMs.Therefore all rRMs get the same RRM handover decision and the rRMresponsible for doing this process is the one that the MS camps on.

Each rRM bases its communication with the co-located rMS on messagesthat are defined by the standard, and, in addition, specific messages.In this manner it can control the local rMS and can request to performlink measurements.

Each rRM communicates with the other rRMs through the rRM specificmessages over the LTE-S1 or WiMAX-R4 protocols, as is depicted in FIG.3. Regarding this embodiment, the rRM extracts the measurement report ofits rMS and is responsible to transfer this measurement via a specificmeasurement report message to the other rRMs.

Each rRM typically builds, e.g. as shown in FIG. 11, some or all of thefollowing tables:

a. Basic measurement table: contains the measurements and quality resultof each end user MS toward all the base stations that each MS has found.This rough material data is updated periodically. FIG. 4 describes thistable (40) e.g. according to the FIG. 2 scenario.b. Connectivity table: e.g. as depicted in FIG. 4 (41). It providesinformation regarding to which BS each mobile station is connected.c. Routing table: e.g. as depicted in FIG. 4 (42), describes the actualroutes and the sections that are related to this route.d. Sections Measurement Table (STB): e.g. as depicted in FIG. 4 (43), isrelevant because routing decisions are taken according to itsparameters. It describes measurements that relate to each section of theactual connection route and a description of alternative routes as well.This table is the input to the handover decision making process, asillustrated in FIG. 5.

The left side of FIG. 4 describes the measurement results of thescenario of FIG. 2. The basic measurement table (40) describes thequality result (QGR) toward each base station that is discovered by theMS. The QGR is based on the RSRI, RSRP measurements and RSRQ resulttoward each BS.

RSRQ=N (RSRP/RSSI) (dB) where N=number of resource blocks.

The connectivity table (41) provides information about the decision ofeach MS to which base station to be connected. In the initializationstage, the right side of FIG. 4 describes what the rRM sees. It can beseen in table (42) that the rRM of each relay has the quality results ofeach section in each actual route of each MS.

The Sections Measurement Table (SMT) provides the quality results of allpossible routes of each mobile station. In FIG. 5 the table describesall possible routes of MS5 according to the scenario in FIG. 2. TheSection Measurement Table is a data base employed by the rRM and the MSin deciding about handover and in deciding what base station to beconnected to.

Each rRM has a list of MSs that camp on it and therefore has thecapability to establish communication between them. For example, mRS2(12) in FIG. 2 can establish complete communication traffic between MS5,MS6 and MS7. In addition to this, each rRM knows the connection of itslocal rMS and accordingly can establish communication between the MSsthat camp on it and the MSs of the relay in which its rMS is connected.For example, if in FIG. 2 link g between mRS 3 and sBS is disconnectedor of poor quality, rRM2 can still establish communication betweenMS5-MS10.

The rRM typically includes several layers, as illustrated in FIG. 9.Typically, the radio management is typically carried out in the radiomanagement layer (90) whereas the capability to establish the connectionbetween end users' mobile phones (MSs) is carried out by the servicelayer of the rRM (91). The application layer of the rRM (92) is aboveits service layer and provides specific radio management applicationsfor the tactical network.

In tactical networks, it happens that the quality of the backhaulingsection, due to mobility, may change dramatically while the relay is onthe move from one location to another. The application layer of the rRMties the connectivity of the relay (QGR) to the actual location point atwhich it was measured. This allows a person who carries and uses therelay to have an indication of location points which have good QGR.

In a 3 hop situation, in which one mobile relay is connected to thestatic base station (sBS) via another relay, the application layer ofthe first mobile relay (12) may send a message to the other relay (13)to find a best place for backhauling and may stay there.

The method for handover or network entry can be performed by the networkor the mobile station (MS). In cases where the decisions re handover andnetwork assignment are made by the MS, the Section Measurement Table(STB) in FIG. 5 is transferred over the application layer to therelevant MS. A handover decision making method provided in accordancewith certain embodiments of the invention is now described. The methodtypically provides Quality Grade Result (QGR) for each possible route.Mobile stations (MS) can be connected directly to the main/fixed BS, orvia one or two relays in one hop or two. For example, MS1 in FIG. 2, isconnected directly to the main sBS while MS2 is connected via mobilerelay 1 (mRS1) and MS5 is connected via mRS2 and mRS3. In such a case,to ensure connectivity and maintain quality of service and desired userbit rate, it is important that the decision for handover and other RRMoperations may not depend just on the RSRP, RSSI and RSRQ measurementsof the end user MS only, but also on the measurements done by the rMSsbelonging to this link. The method by which the rRM makes a decision forhandover operation may be based on the measurements of the MS and themeasurements of the rMSs that are part of this specific backhaulinglink. For example, MS4 in the Section Measurement Table in FIG. 5 can beconnected via the sBS or RBS1 or RBS2. In each of these 3 routes themeasurements of each sector (meaning the measurements of MS4, rMS2 andrMS3) are taken into consideration.

From a mobile station point of view, there are several use cases thatare related to connectivity:

-   -   The MS does not see any of the base stations    -   The MS sees one base station that is a relay BS (rBS)    -   The MS sees one base station that is a standard BS (sBS)    -   The MS sees several base stations that can be a combination of        rBS and sBS        In each of these cases there are several levels of quality        grades (QGR), which are related to each base station reception.        The presumption at this stage is that they are either good,        medium or poor.    -   Good quality means that RSRQ≧Threshold 1 that enables to        transfer up to 64 QAM    -   Medium quality means that RSRQ≧Threshold 2 that enables to        transfer up to 16 QAM    -   Poor quality means that RSRQ≦Threshold 3 in which the connection        could not be established in the minimum requested quality.

Each mobile station (MS) or relay MS (rMS) sees only “one layer” of basestations and its measurements relate to this layer only. In order to geta right handover or network entry decision, the algorithm preferablyrelates to the measurements of all the layers.

The criteria of the MS for base station selection is done according toMS measurements, as defined in the LTE standard (TS 36.304).The cellselection criterion S is fulfilled when:

-   -   Srxlev>0    -   Where:

S _(rxlev) =Q _(rxlevmeas)−(Q _(rxlevmin) +Q _(rxleminoffset))−P_(Compensation) [dB]

where

P _(compensation)=max(P _(EMAX) −P _(UMAX),0) [dB]

Qrxelvmeas is the measured receive level value for this cell, i.e. theReference Signal Received Power (RSRP) as defined in the standard. Thismeasured value is the linear average over the power of the resourceelements that carry the cells' specific reference signals over theconsidered measurement bandwidth. Consequently, it depends on theconfigured signal bandwidth. In the case of Receiver's diversityconfigured for the MS, the reported value may be equivalent to thelinear average of the power values of all diversity branches.

Qrxlevmin is the minimum suitable receive level in this cell, given indBm. This value is signaled as Q-RxLevMin by higher layers as part ofthe System Information Block Type 1 (SIB Type 1). The Qrxlevmincomputation is based on the value provided within the informationelement (−70 and −22) multiplied with factor 2 in dBm.

Qrxlevminoffset, is an offset to Qrxlevmin that is only taken intoaccount as a result of a periodic search for a higher priority PLMNwhile camped normally in a Visitor PLMN (VPLMN). This offset is based onthe information element provided within the SIB Type 1, taking integervalues between (1 . . . 8) also multiplied by a factor of 2 in dB. Thisgives a wider range by keeping the number of bits transmitting thisinformation. The offset is defined to avoid “ping-pong” betweendifferent PLMNs. If it is not available then Qrxlevminoffset is assumedto be 0 dB.

PCompensation is a maximum function as shown in Equation 5. Whicheverparameter is higher, PEMAX-PUMAX or 0, is the value used forPCompensation. PEMAX [dBm] is the maximum power a MS is allowed to usein this cell, whereas PUMAX [dBm] is the maximum transmit power of an MSaccording to the power class the UE belongs to. Only one power class isdefined for LTE, which corresponds to Power Class 3 in WCDMA thatspecifies +23 dBm. PEMAX is defined by higher layers and corresponds tothe parameter P-MAX defined in the standard. Based on this relationship,PEMAX can take values between −30 to +33 dBm. Only when PEMAX>+23 dBmPCompensation is considered when computing Srxlev. The P-MAX informationelement (IE) is part of SIB Type 1 as well as in theRadioResourceConfigCommon IE, which is part of the SIB Type 2.

As explained above, all the parameters except for Qrxlevmeas areprovided via system information. In a real network a MS may receiveseveral cells perhaps from different network operators. The MS onlyknows after reading the SIB Type 1 if this cell belongs to itsoperator's network (PLMN5 Identity). First the UE may look for thestrongest cell per carrier, then for the PLMN identity by decoding theSIB Type 1 to decide if this PLMN is a suitable identity. Followingthis, it computes the S criterion and decides whether it is a suitablecell or not.

Handover decision per end-user MS may be performed according to thequality grade of each actual route in comparison to the alternativeroute of this end user (MS), and may include some or all of thefollowing steps, suitably ordered e.g. as shown:

a. If the MS has one route only, it may be considered as high risk MSand continue to be connected to this route.

b. In cases where there are several alternatives, each route section ischecked separately. The QGR is checked and if there is a very poor QGRresult, the route may be ignored and considered as a route withoutbackhauling.

c. In cases where that there are several routes in which all sectionsare above the minimum QGR threshold, a comparison is done between them.The minimum QGR section in each route is taken and compared with theminimum QGR of each alternative route.

d. Handover decision takes place if the existing route has quality gradeinferior to that of other routes.

FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of a handover method operative inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

As described previously, typically, each relay has a standard mobilestation (rMS) that carries the backhauling traffic; however the rMStypically does not include keyboard or display, but rather only an LTE(or WiMAX) modem. This rMS is connected to base station (rBS) of anotherrelay, which has its own rMS that is connected to another rBS of anotherrelay. In the event that the rBS transmission interferes with theco-located rMS's ability to be connected to the remote base station, therRM may cause the rBS to transmit empty frames in the downlink.

As described above, each rRM typically builds some or all of thefollowing tables: Basic measurement table; Connectivity table: Routingtable; Sections Measurement Table. A suitable method for building thesetables is depicted in FIG. 11. The Section Measurement Table may beemployed as a data base by the rRM and the MS to decide about handoverand the base station to which to be connected.

As described above, each rRM has a list of MSs that camp on it andtherefore has the capability to establish communication between them.For example, mRS2 (12) in FIG. 2 can establish complete communicationtraffic between MS5, MS6 and MS7. In addition to this, each rRM knowsthe connection of its local rMS and accordingly can establishcommunication between the MSs that camp on it and the MSs of the relayin which its rMS is connected. For example, if in FIG. 2 section d (17)between mRS 3 and sBS is disconnected or in poor quality, rRM2 can stillestablish communication between MS5-MS10. The rRM has several layers,e.g. as depicted in FIG. 9. Typically, while radio management iseffected in the radio management layer (90), the capability to establishthe connection between end users mobile phones (MSs) is effected by theservice layer of the rRM (91). The application layer of the rRM (92) isabove its service layer and provides specific radio managementapplications for the tactical network.

In tactical networks, it may occur that the quality of the backhaulingsection, because of mobility, may be changed dramatically while therelay moves from one place to another. The application layer of the rRMties the connectivity of the relay (QGR) to the actual location point itwas measured. This affords persons who carry and use the relay anindication regarding location points that have good QGR.

In case of 3 hops meaning one mobile relay is connected to the staticbase station (sBS) via another relay, the application layer of the firstmobile relay (12) may send a message to the other relay (13) to find thebest place for backhauling and stay there.

As described above, a Decision making method is provided herein whichprovides a Quality Grade Result (QGR) for each possible route. Usuallyin MANET—Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks—algorithms are based on hop count (likethe DSR) but these algorithms do not ignore weak quality links.According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the methodmay be based on a suitable modification, as described below, of thefollowing algorithm: Fuad Alnajjar and Yahao Chen, “SNR/RP aware RoutingAlgorithm Cross—Layer Design for MANET” (IJWMN, Vol 1, No 2, November2009), which is based on SNR and power measurements. The Alnajjar-Chenmethod is typically modified in some or all of the following respects:

1) the report generated may merely include the conventional contents ofa E-UTRAN measurement report of the mobile stations (NMR). There is noRoute Request message and Replay message.

2) Computation of the route quality is not done in the source node—themobile station, but in the intermediate nodes—the relay rRM.

3) In addition to the RSSI, RSRP metrics (like the SNR and power in theAlnajjar article) there are statistical STD, average/mean and medianmetrics that weight the results of each section (e.g. as describedherein with reference to FIG. 5). If the relay is on the move and itsSNR measurements are changing (large STD) it degrades section quality.

In tables 40, 41, 42 and 43 shown in FIGS. 4-5, the QGR—Quality GradeResult has 3 quality values: G—good, M—medium, B—bad. These values arecombination of the SNR and the statistical metrics. The SNR is theminimum SNR that is needed for modulation constellation according to the3GPP E-UTRAN tables.

The E-UTRAN defines an RSRQ parameter which is similar to the SNR:

${RSRQ} = \frac{N \times {RSRP}}{RSSI}$

N=Number of Resource blocks

RSRP—Reference Signal Received Power

RSSI—Received Signal Strength Indicator

RSRQ—Reference Signal Received Quality

This formula may be modified as follows:

${rsSINR} = \frac{N \times {RSRP}}{{RSSI} - {N \times {RSRP}}}$${rsSINR} = \frac{1}{\frac{1}{RSRQ} - 1}$rsSINR = reference  signal  SINR

In addition, statistical parameters e.g. mean or other measure ofcentral tendency, and/or standard deviation as below may be computed andmay be suitably combined, using a suitable application-specificcombining method, with the above information to generate a highlyrepresentative channel quality grade result:

Mean:

$E = {\frac{1}{N}{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\; {{rsSINR}(i)}}}$

Standard Deviation:

$S = {\frac{1}{N}{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\; \left( {{{rsSINR}(i)} - E} \right)^{2}}}$

For example, in the field, it may transpire that given a fairly largestandard deviation, a lower total grade should be allocated, if thefluctuation indicated by the large standard deviation is found inpreliminary field experiments to frequently (a large percentage of thetime) yield unacceptably poor SNR in certain communication segments.

Finally, define the two criteria parameter figures: Δ₁ and Δ₂ (0<Δ₁<Δ₂).Using those criteria parameters, determine the QGR e.g. using thefollowing two conditions:

$\left\{ {\begin{matrix}{E > {{SNR}_{req}\left( {1 + \Delta} \right)}} \\{\frac{2S}{E} \leq \Delta}\end{matrix}\quad} \right.$

If both conditions apply for Δ=Δ₁ then the QGR is G (good), else if theyapply only for Δ=Δ₂ then the QGR is M (medium) else the QGR is B (bad).All these QGRs are associated with a certain transmission mode(modulation and coding). Typical values for the criteria are Δ₁=0.1 andΔ₂=0.5. If Δ is close to 0, the STD of the signal is very small and itsaverage is close (upper side) to the threshold SNR so no extra margin isapparent hence the situation is good.

FIG. 12 graphs the above parameters. As shown, if E is high, large S isacceptable whereas if E is low (margin SNR), the standard deviation E ispreferably low as well.

FIG. 13 is a pictorial illustration of an example of a rescue operationin which various mobile stations and moving base stations, servingmedical personnel, are advancing over a terrain where they may neverhave been deployed, e.g. toward a disaster area. It is appreciated thatthe relevant features of the terrain may include, instead of or inaddition to the topographical features shown, other features such asflora and/or urban fixtures either of which may disrupt communicationbetween communication network nodes.

Each mRS typically has co-located rRM functionality, rMS functionalityand rBS functionality, as shown. A first state of the system is shown asstage A; communication lines are indicated by a triple line. A secondstate of the system is shown as stage B; communication lines areindicated by a solid line. A third state of the system is shown as stageC; communication lines are indicated by a dotted line. As shown, instage A all the MSs are conventionally connected to the sBS. However, instage B the forces move forward. MS1 and MS4 are still camped on the sBSwhereas all other mobile stations get communication services via mRS1and mRS2. More generally, according to certain embodiments, service isprovided by sBS1 when possible; this is termed “the central approach”.

In stage C the forces on the right side have moved forward. mRS2 is in avalley and has connection with mRS1 but no connection with the sBS. TheSTB table, as shown in FIG. 14, shows rRM2 and MS5 that the preferableroute is via mRS2 and therefore the communication route for MS5 ischanged accordingly, as shown. In idle mode, MS5 may make this decisionwhereas if MS5 is in active session, or is occupied with other networktransactions, the decision may be made and initiated by rRM2.

FIG. 14 shows how the tables described herein support the decisions madein the example of FIG. 13. As shown, the tables show that in stage C,MS5's MS connectivity decision, rBS2, is wrong. The section measurementtable for MS5, however, indicates how to rectify the situation: MS5 maybe connected to rBS1.

It is appreciated that terminology such as “mandatory”, “required”,“need” and “must” refer to implementation choices made within thecontext of a particular implementation or application describedherewithin for clarity and are not intended to be limiting since in analternative implantation, the same elements might be defined as notmandatory and not required or might even be eliminated altogether.

It is appreciated that software components of the present inventionincluding programs and data may, if desired, be implemented in ROM (readonly memory) form including CD-ROMs, EPROMs and EEPROMs, or may bestored in any other suitable computer-readable medium such as but notlimited to disks of various kinds, cards of various kinds and RAMs.Components described herein as software may, alternatively, beimplemented wholly or partly in hardware, if desired, using conventionaltechniques. Conversely, components described herein as hardware may,alternatively, be implemented wholly or partly in software, if desired,using conventional techniques.

Included in the scope of the present invention, inter alia, areelectromagnetic signals carrying computer-readable instructions forperforming any or all of the steps of any of the methods shown anddescribed herein, in any suitable order; machine-readable instructionsfor performing any or all of the steps of any of the methods shown anddescribed herein, in any suitable order; program storage devicesreadable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructionsexecutable by the machine to perform any or all of the steps of any ofthe methods shown and described herein, in any suitable order; acomputer program product comprising a computer useable medium havingcomputer readable program code, such as executable code, having embodiedtherein, and/or including computer readable program code for performing,any or all of the steps of any of the methods shown and describedherein, in any suitable order; any technical effects brought about byany or all of the steps of any of the methods shown and describedherein, when performed in any suitable order; any suitable apparatus ordevice or combination of such, programmed to perform, alone or incombination, any or all of the steps of any of the methods shown anddescribed herein, in any suitable order; electronic devices eachincluding a processor and a cooperating input device and/or outputdevice and operative to perform in software any steps shown anddescribed herein; information storage devices or physical records, suchas disks or hard drives, causing a computer or other device to beconfigured so as to carry out any or all of the steps of any of themethods shown and described herein, in any suitable order; a programpre-stored e.g. in memory or on an information network such as theInternet, before or after being downloaded, which embodies any or all ofthe steps of any of the methods shown and described herein, in anysuitable order, and the method of uploading or downloading such, and asystem including server/s and/or client/s for using such; and hardwarewhich performs any or all of the steps of any of the methods shown anddescribed herein, in any suitable order, either alone or in conjunctionwith software. Any computer-readable or machine-readable media describedherein is intended to include non-transitory computer- ormachine-readable media.

Any computations or other forms of analysis described herein may beperformed by a suitable computerized method. Any step described hereinmay be computer-implemented. The invention shown and described hereinmay include (a) using a computerized method to identify a solution toany of the problems or for any of the objectives described herein, thesolution optionally include at least one of a decision, an action, aproduct, a service or any other information described herein thatimpacts, in a positive manner, a problem or objectives described herein;and (b) outputting the solution.

Features of the present invention which are described in the context ofseparate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a singleembodiment. Conversely, features of the invention, including methodsteps, which are described for brevity in the context of a singleembodiment or in a certain order may be provided separately or in anysuitable subcombination or in a different order. “e.g.” is used hereinin the sense of a specific example which is not intended to be limiting.Devices, apparatus or systems shown coupled in any of the drawings mayin fact be integrated into a single platform in certain embodiments ormay be coupled via any appropriate wired or wireless coupling such asbut not limited to optical fiber, Ethernet, Wireless LAN, HomePNA, powerline communication, cell phone, PDA, Blackberry GPRS, Satelliteincluding GPS, or other mobile delivery. It is appreciated that in thedescription and drawings shown and described herein, functionalitiesdescribed or illustrated as systems and sub-units thereof can also beprovided as methods and steps therewithin, and functionalities describedor illustrated as methods and steps therewithin can also be provided assystems and sub-units thereof. The scale used to illustrate variouselements in the drawings is merely exemplary and/or appropriate forclarity of presentation and is not intended to be limiting. Flowchartsincluded herein are used for simplicity to exemplify methods typicallycomprising some or all of the steps shown, suitably ordered e.g. asshown.

1. A moving cellular communication system comprising: a plurality ofmoving relays each including base station functionality, a radio managerand mobile station functionality, all co-located, wherein each basestation functionality is operative to communicate via antennae with atleast one mobile station thereby to define a first radio link therebetween, and wherein each base station functionality has a physicalconnection to its co-located radio manager, wherein each mobile stationfunctionality communicates via antennae with a unit which has basestation functionality thereby to define a second radio link, wherein theradio manager in each individual moving relay comprises: a radioresource manager; and functionality for exchanging information withradio managers included in moving relays other than said individualmoving relay, wherein said information is used by said radio resourcemanager to select, for at least one individual mobile station seeking tobe served, one of: a static base station; and a base stationfunctionality, to which to connect said individual mobile station inorder to provide cellular communication services thereto.
 2. A systemaccording to claim 1 operative in conjunction with a cellular networkincluding a core device, at least one static base station, and apopulation of mobile stations communicating via antennae with at leastone of the base stations, wherein at least one topological change insaid system occurs dynamically, said topological change comprises adynamic change in at least one connection between a moving relay and atleast one of a moving relay and a static base station.
 3. A systemaccording to claim 2 wherein at least one radio resource manager locallystores at least some of the information it uses to make a decision reselection of a cellular communication service provider for an individualmobile station seeking to be served, even after said decision has beenmade, thereby to generate a database co-located with said radio resourcemanager.
 4. A system according to claim 1 wherein said information usedby said radio resource manager includes information obtained from itsco-located base station functionality
 5. A system according to claim 1or claim 4 wherein said information used by said radio resource managerincludes information obtained from its co-located mobile stationfunctionality.
 6. A system according to claim 5 wherein said informationobtained from said co-located mobile station functionality is derivedfrom at least one measurement of at least one characteristic of saidsecond radio link.
 7. A system according to claim 6 wherein saidfunctionalities are provided in accordance with a cellular communicationstandard and wherein said information includes information provided bysaid mobile station functionality in accordance with said standard.
 8. Asystem according to claim 7 wherein said cellular communication standardcomprises 3GPP E-UTRAN LTE.
 9. A system according to claim 8, where theinformation includes at least one of RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ.
 10. A systemaccording to claim 1 wherein each said moving relay and each said mobilestation constitutes a cellular communication node and wherein said linksgenerate routes interconnecting said nodes and wherein at least oneradio resource manager residing at an individual node is operative tocompute a route quality parameter characterizing quality of at least oneindividual route passing through said individual node, by combininginformation pertaining to links along said individual route.
 11. Asystem according to claim 10 wherein said radio resource manageroperative to compute a route quality parameter combines informationpertaining to links along said individual route by computing a minimumfrom among values characterizing respective qualities of all linksforming said individual route.
 12. A system according to claim 10wherein said system is operative in conjunction with a cellular networkincluding a core device, at least one static base station, and apopulation of mobile stations communicating via antennae with at leastone of the base stations, and wherein said individual route comprises aroute connecting said individual node to at least one of the static basestations.
 13. A system according to claim 1 wherein said system isoperative in conjunction with a static network including a core device,at least one static base station, and a population of mobile stationscommunicating via antennae with at least one of the base stations andwherein each individual radio manager that does not have a sufficientlyhigh quality connection to the static network can provide communication,via said individual radio manager's co-located base stationfunctionality, between mobile stations that are connected to saidco-located base station functionality.
 14. A system according to claim13 wherein said system is operative in conjunction with a static networkincluding a core device, at least one static base station, and apopulation of mobile stations communicating via antennae with at leastone of the base stations and wherein each radio manager that does nothave a connection to the static network can provide communication, viasaid individual radio manager's co-located base station functionality,between mobile stations that are connected to said co-located basestation functionality.
 15. A system according to claim 1 wherein atleast one individual radio manager can provide communication, via atleast one base station functionality linked to said radio manager,between mobile stations that are connected to said at least one basestation functionality.
 16. A system according to claim 1 wherein eachresource manager is operative to selectably establish communicationbetween at least one mobile station connected to its co-located basestation functionality and at least one mobile station connected to amoving relay to which said resource manager's co-locked mobile stationfunctionality is linked via a route.
 17. A system according to claim 16wherein said route includes a plurality of links.
 18. A system accordingto claim 10 wherein said radio resource manager residing at saidindividual node computes a plurality of route quality parameters for acorresponding plurality of route alternatives.
 19. A system according toclaim 18 wherein said radio resource manager provides said plurality ofroute quality parameters to an individual mobile station connected tothe base station functionality co-located with said radio resourcemanager.
 20. A system according to claim 19 wherein said individualmobile station is operative, when in a mode in which it is its owndecision to which unit having base station functionality it is to beconnected, to make said decision based at least in part on saidplurality of route quality parameters.
 21. A system according to claim 6wherein said information obtained from said co-located mobile stationfunctionality includes said at least one measurement itself.
 22. Asystem according to claim 4 wherein said information obtained from saidco-located base station functionality is derived from at least onemeasurement of at least one characteristic of said first radio link. 23.A system according to claim 22 wherein said information obtained fromsaid co-located base station functionality includes said at least onemeasurement itself.
 24. A system according to claim 8 or claim 9 wherethe information includes a rsSINR metric.
 25. A system according toclaim 1 in which an individual mobile station is connected to anindividual base station functionality and wherein a decision to transfersaid individual mobile station away from said individual base stationfunctionality is made by a resource manager co-located with saidindividual base station functionality.
 26. A system according to claim 1and also comprising a cellular network including a core device, at leastone static base station, and a population of mobile stationscommunicating via antennae with at least one of the base stations.
 27. Asystem according to claim 26 and also comprising a relay network manager(DisNetRM) located at a static network core device.
 28. A systemaccording to claim 1 wherein, for at least one mobile stationfunctionality in at least one individual moving relay, said unit whichhas base station functionality comprises a base station functionality ofa moving relay other than said individual moving relay.
 29. A systemaccording to claim 1 operative in conjunction with a cellular networkincluding a core device, at least one static base station, and apopulation of mobile stations communicating via antennae with at leastone of the base stations, wherein, for at least one mobile stationfunctionality in at least one individual moving relay, said unit whichhas base station functionality comprises said static base station.
 30. Asystem according to claim 1 wherein said information, but for saidexchanging, is accessible to only a subset of said radio managers.
 31. Asystem according to claim 1 wherein said information comprises linkinformation characterizing at least one of said radio links
 32. A systemaccording to claim 28 wherein for the mobile station functionalityco-located with said moving relay other than said individual movingrelay, said unit which has base station functionality also comprises abase station functionality of a moving relay rather than a static basestation, thereby to provide multi-hop capability to said system.
 33. Asystem according to claim 27 in which an individual mobile station isconnected to an individual base station functionality and wherein adecision to transfer said individual mobile station away from saidindividual base station functionality is made centrally by said relaynetwork manager (DisNetRM).
 34. A system according to claim 20 and alsocomprising a cellular network including a core device, at least onestatic base station, and a population of mobile stations communicatingvia antennae with at least one of the base stations wherein saidindividual mobile station decides to establish connection with the unithaving base station functionality which, according to said plurality ofroute quality parameters, provides said individual mobile station withthe best route to one of the static base stations.
 35. A mobilecommunication network system operative in conjunction with a corenetwork including a core device and at least one static base station,the system comprising: a plurality of base stations; and a population ofmobile stations communicating via antennae with the base stations; thebase stations including at least one moving base station whichcommunicates via antennae with the mobile stations and includes basestation functionality, a first radio manager and mobile stationfunctionality all co-located with the base station functionality, thebase station functionality having a physical back-connection to thefirst radio manager, the first radio manager having a physicalconnection with the mobile station functionality, the mobile stationfunctionality communicating via antennae with at least one selectablestatic base station, wherein the first radio manager comprises: a radioresource manager; and functionality for receiving information from, andsending information to, other radio managers, respectively co-locatedwith other moving base stations, and for using the information todetermine whether to reject at least one mobile station seeking to beserved by an individual base station associated with the individualco-located radio manager.
 36. A system according to claim 35 whereinsaid information comprises information regarding qualities of respectiveconnections of respectively co-located radio managers back to the corenetwork is provided by respectively co-located radio managers via aselected one of: a static base station from among the at least onestatic base station of the core network; and a moving base stationcapable of providing service to the individual radio manager'sco-located mobile device.
 37. A system according to claim 35 whereinsaid information re quality of its own connection back to the corenetwork is provided by its own co-located mobile station.
 38. A systemaccording to claim 35 wherein said information includes information rechannel quality which other base stations are able to provide mobilestations in the vicinity of the individual co-located radio manager andwhich is provided by reports generated by said mobile stations in saidvicinity.
 39. A system according to claim 35 wherein said information requality of service available from its own base station for mobilestations in the vicinity of the individual co-located radio manager isprovided by its own co-located mobile station.
 40. A system according toclaim 35 wherein said other radio manager is operative to compute, forat least one individual mobile station, route comparison informationincluding a plurality of routes of base stations via which theindividual mobile station can communicate with the core network and atleast one parameter characterizing the relative quality of each of saidroutes and to communicate to said individual mobile station informationindicative of said route comparison information and wherein saidindividual mobile station is operative to select a base station to beconnected to at least partly based on said information indicative ofsaid route comparison information.
 41. A system according to claim 40wherein said parameter is based upon a minimum SNR value, over sectionswhich together compose a route, each section having its own SNR value.42. A system according to claim 40 wherein said parameter characterizingroute quality is a combination of measured qualities of route sectionsand fluctuations thereof such that route sections with largelyfluctuating quality measurements are devalued due to theirunpredictability.
 43. A system according to claim 35 wherein at leastone individual co-located radio manager includes a mobile-to-mobiledirect communication facilitation functionality operative to providedirect communication, not requiring said core network, between aplurality of mobile devices in said individual radio manager's vicinity.44. A system according to claim 35 wherein said moving base stationobserves a silence period during which it refrains from transmitting toits own co-located mobile station.
 45. A system according to claim 44wherein at least one characteristic of said silence period isdynamically determined by the moving base station's co-located radiomanager.
 46. A system according to claim 45 wherein said characteristiccomprises a zone in which silence is observed which is defined over atleast one of a frequency band and a time window.
 47. A system accordingto claim 35 wherein said network comprises a tactical E-UTRAN network.48. A system according to claim 35 wherein if a multi-hop communicationroute is used, in which a relay R that is connected to the core networkvia another relay A, relay R sends a message to a backhauling relay thatR is A's anchor.
 49. A system according to claim 35 wherein said staticbase station is co-located with said core device.
 50. A system accordingto claim 35 wherein said physical back-connection comprises an Ethernetback-connection.
 51. A system according to claim 35 wherein said radioresource manager comprises an E-UTRAN radio resource manager.
 52. Amobile communication networking method comprising: Providing a corenetwork including a core device and at least one static base station; aplurality of base stations; and a population of mobile stationscommunicating via antennae with the base stations; the base stationsincluding at least one moving base station which communicates viaantennae with the mobile stations and includes base stationfunctionality, a first radio manager and mobile station functionalityall co-located with said base station functionality, the base stationfunctionality having a physical back-connection to the first radiomanager, the first radio manager having a physical connection with saidmobile station functionality, the mobile station functionalitycommunicating via antennae with at least one selectable static basestation, wherein said first radio manager comprises a radio resourcemanager; and functionality for receiving information from, and sendinginformation to, other radio managers, respectively co-located with othermoving base stations; and using said information to determine whether toreject at least one mobile station seeking to be served by an individualbase station associated with said first radio manager.
 53. A systemaccording to claim 35 wherein users are shown a good location for QGR.54. A system according to claim 53 wherein statistical measurements of aco-located MS in each at least one relay are attached to locationresults of the relay and wherein said system includes at least one rRMhaving a functionality that computes and indicates to the user locationswith good QGC.
 55. A system according to claim 48 wherein thebackhauling relay becomes aware that another relay is connected to itand finds a good place to remain.
 56. A system according to claim 35wherein said information includes information regarding qualities ofother base stations' respective connections back to the core network.57. A system according to claim 35 wherein said information includesinformation regarding quality of the first radio manager's moving basestation's connection back to the core network.
 58. A system according toclaim 35 wherein said information includes information regarding channelqualities which said first radio manager's own base station, and basestations other than said first radio manager's own base station, arerespectively able to provide, to mobile stations in the vicinity of thefirst radio manager.
 59. A method according to claim 52 wherein saidinformation includes information regarding qualities of other basestations' respective connections back to the core network.
 60. A methodaccording to claim 52 wherein said information includes informationregarding quality of the first radio manager's moving base station'sconnection back to the core network.
 61. A method according to claim 52wherein said information includes information regarding channelqualities which said first radio manager's own base station, and basestations other than said first radio manager's own base station, arerespectively able to provide, to mobile stations in the vicinity of thefirst radio manager.
 62. A computer program product, comprising acomputer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodiedtherein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed toimplement any method shown and described herein.
 63. A mobilecommunication network system operative in conjunction with a networkincluding a core device, a plurality of base stations including at leastone static base station, and a population of mobile stationscommunicating via antennae with at least one of the base stations, thesystem comprising: at least one moving base station included in saidplurality of base stations which communicates via antennae with themobile stations and includes base station functionality, a first radiomanager and mobile station functionality all co-located with the basestation functionality, the base station functionality having a physicalback-connection to the first radio manager, the first radio managerhaving a physical connection with the mobile station functionality, themobile station functionality communicating via antennae with at leastone selectable base station, wherein the first radio manager comprises:a radio resource manager; and functionality for receiving informationfrom, and for sending information to, other radio managers, respectivelyco-located with other moving base stations, and for using theinformation to determine whether to reject at least one mobile stationseeking to be served by an individual base station associated with theindividual co-located radio manager.
 64. A mobile communication networksystem operative in conjunction with a network including a core device,a plurality of base stations including at least one static base station,and a population of mobile stations communicating via antennae with atleast one of the base stations, the system comprising: at least onemoving base station included in said plurality of base stations whichcommunicates via antennae with the mobile stations and includes basestation functionality, a first radio manager and mobile stationfunctionality all co-located with the base station functionality, thebase station functionality having a physical back-connection to thefirst radio manager, the first radio manager having a physicalconnection with the mobile station functionality, the mobile stationfunctionality communicating via antennae with at least one selectablebase station, wherein the first radio manager comprises: a radioresource manager; and functionality for receiving information from, andsending information to, other radio managers, respectively co-locatedwith other moving base stations, wherein at least one radio manager isoperative to compute, for at least one individual moving base station,route comparison information including a plurality of routes of basestations via which the individual moving base station can communicatewith the core network and at least one parameter characterizing therelative quality of each of said routes and wherein said individualmoving base station connects to a serving base station selected at leastpartly based on information indicative of said route comparisoninformation.
 65. A system according to claim 63 wherein said mobilestation seeking to be served by said individual base station includes amobile station currently being served by said individual base station.66. A system according to claim 63 wherein said individual base stationis co-located with the individual co-located radio manager.
 67. A systemaccording to claim 63 wherein said individual base station is served bythe individual co-located radio manager.
 68. A system according to claim63 wherein said functionality is also operative to determine a basestation other than said individual base station, which is more suitablethan said individual base station to serve said mobile station seekingto be served.
 69. A system according to claim 63 wherein at least oneradio manager is operative to compute, for at least one individualmoving base station, route comparison information including a pluralityof routes of base stations via which the individual moving base stationcan communicate with the core network and at least one parametercharacterizing the relative quality of each of said routes and whereinsaid individual moving base station connects to a serving base stationselected at least partly based on information indicative of said routecomparison information.
 70. A system according to claim 64 wherein eachsaid other radio manager is operative to compute, for at least oneindividual mobile station, route comparison information including aplurality of routes of base stations via which the individual mobilestation can communicate with the core network and at least one parametercharacterizing the relative quality of each of said routes and tocommunicate to said individual mobile station information indicative ofsaid route comparison information and wherein said individual mobilestation is operative to select a base station to be connected to atleast partly based on said information indicative of said routecomparison information.
 71. A system according to claim 64 wherein theradio manager computes said route comparison information for anindividual moving base station served thereby whose mobile stationfunctionality is communicating in idle mode, via antenna, with at leastone selectable base station.
 72. A system according to claim 64 whereinthe radio manager computes said route comparison information for amoving base station co-located therewith whose mobile stationfunctionality is communicating in active mode, via antenna, with atleast one selectable base station.
 73. A system according to claim 71and wherein the individual moving base station camps on said servingbase station selected at least partly based on said informationindicative of said route comparison information.
 74. A system accordingto claim 72 and wherein the individual moving base station is handedover to said serving base station selected at least partly based on saidinformation indicative of said route comparison information.
 75. Asystem according to claim 63 and also comprising a core device andwherein the core device allocates constant communication sessionbandwidth between each mobile station functionality and the base stationwith which it is communicating so as to maintain a constant active modeof communication between each mobile station functionality and the basestation.
 76. A system according to claim 64 and also comprising a coredevice and wherein the core device allocates constant communicationsession bandwidth between each mobile station functionality and the basestation with which it is communicating so as to maintain a constantactive mode of communication between each mobile station functionalityand the base station.
 77. A mobile communication network system servinga population of mobile stations communicating via antennae with basestations, the system including: a plurality of base stations includingat least one static base station and at least one moving base stationwhich communicates via antennae with the mobile stations and includesbase station functionality, a first radio manager and mobile stationfunctionality all co-located with the base station functionality, thebase station functionality having a physical back-connection to thefirst radio manager, the first radio manager having a physicalconnection with the mobile station functionality, the mobile stationfunctionality communicating via antennae with at least one selectablebase station; and a core device which allocates constant communicationsession bandwidth between each mobile station functionality and the basestation with which it is communicating so as to maintain a constantactive mode of communication between each mobile station functionalityand the base station.
 78. A system according to claim 56 wherein saidother base stations include all base stations along a route connectingsaid moving base station and said core, via which route said core servessaid moving base station.
 79. A system according to claim 77 whereinsaid other base stations include all base stations along a routeconnecting said moving base station and said core, via which route saidcore serves said moving base station.
 80. A system according to claim 64wherein said information includes information regarding channelqualities which said first radio manager's own base station, and basestations other than said first radio manager's own base station, arerespectively able to provide, to mobile stations in the vicinity of thefirst radio manager.
 81. A system according to claim 63 wherein saidfunctionality is operative for detecting the quality of each end-usersection and the quality of each backhauling section according to mobilestations' and mobile station functionalities' measurements and forcombining said qualities into quality grade results for a current routeand for alternative routes for at least one mobile station.
 82. A systemaccording to claim 81 and wherein said quality grade results arebroadcast to at least one mobile stations.
 83. A system according toclaim 81 wherein at least one handover decision, to hand over a nodefrom one base station to another, is made by taking into account, for atleast one alternative route, the quality grade result of access andbackhauling sections.
 84. A system according to claim 81 wherein atleast one cell admission decision is made by taking into account, for atleast one alternative route, the quality grade result of access andbackhauling sections.
 85. A system according to claim 81 wherein atleast one cell reselection decision is made by taking into account, forat least one alternative route, the quality grade result of access andbackhauling sections.
 86. A system according to claim 81 wherein saidmobile stations' and mobile station functionalities' measurementsinclude RSRP.
 87. A system according to claim 81 wherein said mobilestations' and mobile station functionalities' measurements include RSRI.88. A system according to claim 81 wherein said mobile stations' andmobile station functionalities' measurements include RSRQ.
 89. A systemaccording to claim 63 wherein each radio manager uses measurements fromat least one other radio manager over a sub-network, and at least one ofRSRP, RSRI and RSRQ measurements from at least one of its co-locatedmobile station functionality and a mobile station, to build a radioresource measurements table.
 90. A system according to claim 89 whereinat least one of said measurements is distributed by broadcast messagetype to all radio managers.
 91. A system according to claim 81 whereinthe QGR of all alternative routes is distributed to mobile stationsusing a broadcast message.
 92. A system according to claim 91 whereinthe broadcast message relating to each individual base station is sentto all mobile stations camping on said individual base station.
 93. Asystem according to claim 64 wherein said information includesinformation regarding qualities of other base stations' respectiveconnections back to the core network.
 94. A system according to claim 63wherein said information is transmitted between “colleague” radiomanagers via radio.
 95. A system according to claim 63 wherein at leastone radio manager “masquerades” as a base station by sending a requestto a mobile station functionality to execute an NMR measurement.
 96. Asystem according to claim 63 wherein said information includesinformation regarding quality at which the first radio manager's mobilestation functionality would be served by each base station capable ofserving the first radio manager's mobile station functionality.
 97. Acomputer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having acomputer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readableprogram code adapted to be executed to implement any method shown anddescribed herein.